Eyesight rules for motorists unsafe, says coroner

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

An inquest into the deaths of four people killed by drivers with failing eyesight has found enforcement of visual legal standards for motorists is "ineffective and unsafe".

HM Senior Coroner for Lancashire Dr James Adeley has sent a report to Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander to say action should be taken to prevent future deaths. He labelled the licensing system as the "laxest in Europe" as he pointed out the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) was one of only three countries to rely upon self-reporting of visual conditions affecting the ability to drive.

A source close to the transport secretary said the government accepted the rules "need to be reassessed". They added: "We are not ruling anything out regarding changes to eyesight requirements for driving. This will be considered along with wider efforts to improve safety as part of the government's road safety strategy."

It is thought the strategy could be published by the end of the year, after which ministers would consult on any proposed changes.

Dr Adeley said it was concerning that the UK was the only European country to issue licences without any visual checks for a continuous period up to the age of 70. He made the remarks at the inquests of Marie Cunningham, 79, Grace Foulds, 85, Peter Westwell, 80, and Anne Ferguson, 75, held earlier at Preston Coroner's Court.

Friends Mrs Cunningham and Mrs Foulds were struck by Glyn Jones, 68, in his Audi A3 as they crossed the road in Southport, Merseyside, on 30 November 2021. Jones was aware for some years before the collision that his sight was insufficient to meet the minimum requirement to drive a car but failed to declare it to the Driving and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA^▸ (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency)). When he was jailed for seven years and four months, his sentencing hearing was told he could not even see his steering wheel clearly.

Mr Westwell was hit by Neil Pemberton, 81, as he crossed the road in Langho, near Blackburn, on 17 March 2022. Pemberton, who was jailed for 32 months, had a long history of eye disease and was informed on several occasions by different clinicians that he should not drive, the inquest heard. He also repeatedly failed to declare his sight deficit on multiple licence applications to the DVLA.

Mrs Ferguson died when she was struck by a van driven by Vernon Law, 72, in Whitworth, Rochdale, on 11 July 2023. A month before Law was told he had cataracts in both eyes but he lied to an optometrist that he did not drive. Law, who was jailed for four years, knew he had problems with his eyes for years before the collision but his sight loss could easily have been corrected. Law also failed to declare his sight issues on multiple licence applications to the DVLA, the inquest at County Hall heard.

Following the inquests, the family of Mrs Cunningham said: "Our mum, and her friend, were killed by the selfish, reckless actions of Glyn Jones. His decision to put his own convenience before the law, before ethics, before human lives, cost our family everything. This tragedy was not inevitable. It was entirely avoidable. And we are left grappling with the painful truth that if this man had acted responsibly our mum would still be with us."

Terry Wilcox, of Hudgell Solicitors, representing the families of Mrs Cunningham, Mrs Foulds and Mr Westwell, said loop holes that are available for drivers who want to evade reporting on their eyesight are "jaw-dropping". He said: "People ignore what they are told when it doesn't suit their lifestyle, and in reality there is nothing in place to stop selfish people putting others at risk by getting back behind the wheel. We presently have a system under which the DVLA relies upon drivers to self-report, hand over their licence and stop driving when they've been told by a qualified healthcare professional that their eyesight is not to the required standard. This inquest has shown that simply doesn't happen."

Dr Adeley said: "The four fatalities shared the same feature that the driver's sight was well below the standard required to drive a car. The current system for 'ensuring' drivers meet the visual legal standards is ineffective, unsafe and unfit to meet the needs of society as evidenced by the deaths of Marie Cunningham, Grace Foulds, Anne Ferguson and Peter Westwell where the DVLA continued to provide licences to drivers who had failed to meet the legal sight requirements."

The Department for Transport said it would consider the coroner's report once received. A spokesperson added: "The NHS recommends adults should have their eyes tested every two years and drivers are legally required to inform the DVLA if they have a condition which affects their eyesight. We are committed to improving road safety and continue to explore ways to achieve this."

Rob Heard, chairman of the Older Drivers' Forum, warned that more people would die if changes were not made soon. He called for it to be made compulsory for opticians and GPs to check a person's eyesight once they turn 70, and inform the DVLA via an online system without the "worry of breaching patient confidentiality". "A car is a lethal weapon and we need to be fully in control and safe on the roads to be able to control it," he said.

Mr Wilcox said there is currently no infrastructure for IT which would allow a sight test to be uploaded to the DVLA. "You can be told the car is unsafe but a driver is never told they are unsafe and the DVLA aren't informed - the driver is unsafe," he said. "Drivers are the solution and yet we don't appear to have anything in place to solve the problem."

[GBM]

I've always said anyone over 70 must have an annual eye test, and that result must be available for the DVLA^▸ (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency) to see.
Possibly a simple re-test every two years for driving ability as well.

Professional wagon and bus drivers need an annual eye test and medical over 70 years of age, so car drivers should have similar.

[TaplowGreen]

I've always said anyone over 70 must have an annual eye test, and that result must be available for the DVLA^▸ (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency) to see.
Possibly a simple re-test every two years for driving ability as well.

Professional wagon and bus drivers need an annual eye test and medical over 70 years of age, so car drivers should have similar.

Agree 100% with eye test and re-test for driving.

Being in a car with my late Father driving when he was in his early 80s was often an experience where all concerned found themselves praying to whatever God they held dear!

[Marlburian]

Driving re-tests every two years would place further burdens on the DVLA^▸ (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency), which is having trouble coping with the number of learner drivers wanting their first tests, and with the Government eager to cut Civil Service numbers ...

I'm nudging 80 and haven't needed to use a motorway for decades and don't drive at night. Didn't the last tweaks to the test include parking on the other side of the road and then driving away? Something I might find challenging but have never needed to do. So I would twitch at the thought of a test that took these into account.

Certainly eyesight is an issue, and elderly people can have free annual tests. The roadside check is a bit hit & miss; this morning I walked along several streets in bright sunshine and could read number plates from further away than on a dull day.

When Dad was around 84, staff at Mother's nursing home were alarmed when they saw him drive up to visit her, such was his own state of health.

[froome]

I've always said anyone over 70 must have an annual eye test, and that result must be available for the DVLA^▸ (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency) to see.
Possibly a simple re-test every two years for driving ability as well.

Professional wagon and bus drivers need an annual eye test and medical over 70 years of age, so car drivers should have similar.

Agree 100% with eye test and re-test for driving.

Being in a car with my late Father driving when he was in his early 80s was often an experience where all concerned found themselves praying to whatever God they held dear!

I had similar experiences with my last remaining aunt. It is several years since I went as a passenger in her car, but every time I have, it has been terrifying, as she drives right alongside parked cars at speeds that must be well over the speed limit. Her sons have made many attempts to get her to stop, and she finally has, but only at the age of 98(!) when she had an accident that shook her up (fortunately nothing worse), which has coincided with her health deteriorating.

[Trowres]

Free eyesight tests for the elderly (actually over 60's) are now only at two-yearly intervals, unless one of several reasons are met.

[IndustryInsider]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkDGCVs7H7Y

[Clan Line]

As a 78 year old I must confess that I do, at times, get a little weary of the calls for various clampdowns on "old" drivers. I have had cataracts in both eyes and a detached retina - yet my vision (unaided) is 20/20 (or, as we must say now, 6/6). Oh - and a clean licence. Yes, the coroner was quite right with his comments over these tragic cases. However, he could have made a stronger case to save far more lives by calling for a ban on under 25s from carrying passengers for a considerable period after passing the driving test- just to name one action. There are plenty more.

Looking at the graph below (from Gov.Uk)................and perhaps being somewhat simplistic, it might appear that you have to reach the age of 86 before you become as dangerous on the roads as a 17 - 24 year old. It seems that I am roughly 3 times as "safe" as a 20 year old - tell my insurance company that !!

[grahame]

The graph is interesting in that at the age groups are not quite equal in number or years covered - although that's not misleading because it's per billion miles driven, and not absolute numbers.  Ideally, the 17-24 age group of 8 years should be split into two groups. 

I would also like to see a similar chart for miles actually driven by each age group.  I would suspect that people in the age group 17-24 drive a lot more miles that people aged 86 and over.

[Chris from Nailsea]

I would also like to see a similar chart for miles actually driven by each age group.  I would suspect that people in the age group 17-24 drive a lot more miles that people aged 86 and over.

I agree. I am now retired, in the '66 to 70' group (eek! ) and I drive relatively few miles these days.  Local shopping trips in the car to collect 'heavy stuff', taking recycling up to our local civic amenity site, and occasional journeys into Bristol for medical appointments and to Cirencester to visit my father.

My eyesight was tested recently and was found, somewhat oddly, to be rather better than my previous prescription, so new spectacles had to be purchased. 

[infoman]

Those of a certain age get free bus bus travel,maybe the railway could bring in free senior red cards,just a thought.

[Marlburian]

When I consider the cost of keeping my three-year-old Fiesta on the road and weigh that against my modest mileage (9,300 miles in 44 months), and then reflect that nearly all of that is to get me out in the countryside for walks, I do wonder whether I need a car.  I live close to Tilehurst Station, so have excellent access to a number of rail routes -  and, indeed, I have used them all in the past for walks.

The current unreliability is one deterrent. On Thursday I drove to Pewsey and left my car (for free) in the main town car-park. (Years ago, I'd taken the train there and walked alongside the canal to Hungerford, where I took a train home.) After a six-hour walk, I diverted into Pewsey Station and across the footbridge, to hear announcements that trains were delayed by 30 minutes or so. There's nothing to amuse one at the station, as an acquaintance found one dark evening two winters ago when she was hoping to return to London.